THE INCA TRAIL & TAMBOPATA RESERVE

13 Days / 12 Nights

Enjoy four exhilarating days of hiking before emerging at the magical citadel itself through the Sun Gate. And before the end of your trip, the Tambopata Reserve will be waiting for you: a nature reserve in the Peruvian Amazon Basin where you will spend three unforgettable days.

The Inca Trail is considered one of the best trekking routes in the world. It walks part of an old Inca road leading to the sacred city of Machu Picchu (Old Mountain in Quechua). Along about 43 kilometers, we will pass through various ecological areas with Salkantay Mountain as a background and other glaciers-considered sacred and called apus by the townspeople.

Besides, prepare you to discover the Tambopata Reserve, which harbors some of the wildest and least impacted habitats in the world. This experience will not leave you indifferent.

Inca trail hikers

Inca trail

Birdwatching

Track

Potatoes

Inca trail

Pisaq street

Ollantaytambo street

Scarlet macaw

Itinerary

DAY 01: ARRIVAL IN LIMA. FREE DAY IN LIMA

Arrival in Lima airport and transfer to you hotel. Free day in Lima.

Overnight in Lima

DAY 02: LIMA - CUSCO FLIGHT. FREE DAY IN CUSCO

In the morning, you will be picked-up at your hotel and transferred to the airport where you will catch a Lima – Cusco flight. Upon arrival in Cusco (3,400 m above sea level) you will be met and transport to your hotel were we deliver the necessary documentation, and we will do a detailed review of the program. Then you will rest to acclimate.
We will have a free afternoon to independently explore Cusco at your own pace. The ancient Inca capital, Qosqo (the center of the world) was a sacred city of stone palaces and temples. Its streets and roads design reflected the technology, organization of the Inca Cosmo vision. Cusco was built under this city houses, colonial churches and plazas. It is a unique place to understand the Inca culture but also the cultural shock, syncretism and heritage of the mestizo baroque.
Our recommendation is to have light meals, drink plenty of water or coca or muña tea, to attenuate the symptoms of altitude sickness (soroche).Overnight in Cusco

DAY 03: CUSCO CITY AND SURROUNDINGS

Today we will leave the city heading to Sacsayhuaman, an imposing Inca building that dominates Cusco from the north heights of the city. We will visit Puca Pucara, Tambomachay And Q’enko; all these archaeological sites will help us understand the history and Inca Cosmo vision as they are related to the cults of the Inca state and the astronomical observation, critical to the development of the agricultural economy in the Andes. In our way back, we will visit two important sites of the city; The Cathedral and the Q’oricancha Temple of the Sun which is the true sacred center of the ancient Inca capital.Overnight in Cusco

DAY 04: SACRED VALLEY. PISAQ - OLLANTAYTAMBO

You will be picked-up at the hotel between 08:00 a.m. and 09:00 a.m. (the exact pick-up time and visits’ order will be confirmed by our local operator). Then, we will go towards the Incas Sacred Valley. There we will find Pisaq village (2,950 m), where we will visit one of the main architectural complex of the Incas. Pisaq’s archaeological site is located at the top of the village and it domains the valley from the south, offering spectacular views. Its sofisticated system of farming terraces permits us to understand the importance of the agriculture in the Andes and the techniques they used during the Inca empire. We will go all over the artisanal market. Later, we will continue along the Urubamba river bank to Ollantaytambo. We will stop for having lunch on the way (buffet lunch included).Overnight in Ollantaytambo

DAY 05: OLLANTAYTAMBO - PISKACUCHO – WAYLLABAMBA

We will pick you up from your hotel in our comfortable private bus till the locality of Piskacucho located at km 82 from the railway of Cusco – Machupicchu. At the Inca based bridge is the check in point to enter to the Inca Trail and the place where this exciting adventure in the Andes starts. Roughly at 10am. we will start our walk towards the archeological site of Llactapata, the largest ruins at the Inca trail, this walk is going to be gentle and a good warm up for the second part of the day, Then at Hatunchaca our staff of cooks and porters will give us a delicious lunch, after a brief rest we will restart to walk, and approximately 2 hours later we will arrive to the Andean community of Wayllabamba place of our first camp.

Early in the morning we start our walk towards the highest point of the Inca trail, in this path we will have the opportunity of observing different climates and microclimates passing through the rain woodlands of Yuncachimpa till the grassy mountain of Warmiwañusca and after a slow ascent we will arrive at 4200msnm that is the highest pass on this hike, moreover we will have the opportunity of appreciate the majesty of the Andes, after a brief rest we will restart the descent towards a place where is going to wait a warm lunch, After it we restart the trek towards Paqaymayu’s as known as well as river of the dawn where our team will be waiting for us with the camp and dinner ready.

After our breakfast we will start our journey towards the archeological site of Runkurakay, where we will have the opportunity of know a bit more this place, we retake the path and we will pass by two high Andean lagoons till arrive to the second highest pass at 3850 m (12631 ft.), this pass takes the same name of the archaeological site visited before. A descend waits for us up to Sayacmarca or Dominant Town, where from it is possible to enjoy an impressive view of the valley of the Aobamba, there the path ascends a bit towards the clouded forest until Phuyupatamarca or village on the clouds. This archaeological group possesses one beautiful ritual fountain, a leafy vegetation and a spectacular panoramic view of the valley of the river Urubamba. After a brief rest we will start descending across the clouded forest by a series of long steps that take us towards Wiñaywayna or Forever Young. Our third camp waits for us, we will have free time to visit and to explore the surroundings.

Very early in the morning we will begin a trek of approximately two hours, up to Inti Punku’s sector or Sungate and will have the opportunity to admire the sunrise on the majestic city of Machu Picchu.
From there we restart the descending till the city where we will register our arrival in the check out point, then we will start our visit of approximately 2 hours and a half. Then you will have sufficient time to be able to explore and discover by yourselves the mysteries that hides this enigmatic city.
Later we will descend by bus to the settlement of Aguas Calientes and we will finally approach the train with direction to Ollantaytambo, where a bus will wait for you to lead you up to your hotel in the city of the Cuzco.
Machupicchu was recently honored to be part of the New 7 wonders of the World, plus its one of the top World Heritages on the list of UNESCO. It is not mentioned in any of the chronicles on the Spanish colony. Nowadays no one can exactly say on its function. It been studied for scientist for decades but many unanswered questions remain. The town was forgotten on the time for centuries and covered by the rich vegetation until July 24th 1911 when the American historian Hiram Bingham was led by 11 year old boy and made the scientific discovery of Machupicchu. Actually he was in the search of the lost town of Vilcabamba.

Today we will board the train back to Cusco. We will arrive to Poroy station and transfer to your hotel.

Alternatively we can return to the citadel of Machu Picchu for a visit at leisure, and / or climb Huayna Picchu Mountain. It is a walk of about 3 hours (round trip) at a gentle pase on a steady rise.

* Budget option taking the train from Aguas Calientes to Ollantaytambo and then a bus to Cusco Plaza del Regocijo.Overnight in Cusco

DAY 10: CUSCO- PUERTO MALDONADO FLIGHT. CANOPY TOWER

Today we will take a flight from Cusco to Puerto Maldonado in the morning. We will be picked-up at the airport and transferred from Puerto Maldonado Headquarters to Tambopata River Port.
Skirting Puerto Maldonado, we drive 20 kilometers to the Tambopata River Port, entering the Native Community of Infierno. The port is a communal business.

Boxed Lunch.

Transfer Boat – Tambopata River Port to Posada Amazonas.
The forty five minute boat ride from the Tambopata Port to Posada Amazonas will take us into the Community´s Primary Forest Private Reserve.

Orientation: upon arrival, the lodge manager will welcome you and brief you with important navigation and security tips.

Canopy Tower: a twenty minute walk from Posada Amazonas leads to the 30 meter scaffolding canopy tower. A bannistered staircase running through the middle provides safe access to the platforms above. From atop you obtain spectacular views of the vast expanses of standing forest cut by the Tambopata River winding through the middle. Now and then toucans, parrots or macaws are seen flying against the horizon, or mixed species canopy flocks land in the treetop next to you.

Dinner.

Ecotourism lecture: a daily presentation on the Infierno ecotourism project is available every night from a staff member.

Overnight in Posada Amazonas

DAY 11: TRES CHIMBADAS OXBOW LAKE - ETHNOBOTANICAL TOUR - NIGHT WALK

After breakfast, we will have several activities:

Tres Chimbadas Oxbow Lake.
Tres Chimbadas is thirty minutes by boat and forty five minutes hiking from Posada Amazonas. Once there you will paddle around the lake in a catamaran, searching for the resident family of nine giant river otters (seen by 60% of our lake visitors) and other lakeside wildlife such as caiman, hoatzin and horned screamers. Otters are most active from dawn to 8 or 9 AM. Parrot Clay Lick This clay lick is only a twenty minute walk from Posada Amazonas. From a blind located about twenty meters away you will see dozens of parrots and parakeets descend on most clear mornings to ingest the clay on a river bank. Species such as Mealy and Yellow- headed Amazon, Blue-headed Parrot and Dusky headed Parakeet descend at this clay lick. The clay lick is active at dawn, during the late mornings and mid-afternoons.

Lunch.

Ethnobotanical Tour.
A twenty minute boat drive downriver leads you to a trail designed by the staff of the Centro Ñape. The Centro Ñape is a communal organization that produces medicines out of forest plants and administers them to patients who choose their little clinic. They have produced a trail which explains the different medicinal (and other) uses of selected plants.

Dinner.

Night walk.
You will have the option of hiking out at night, when most of the mammals are active but rarely seen. Much easier to find are frogs with shapes and sounds as bizarre as their natural histories.

Overnight in Posada Amazonas

DAY 12: PUERTO MALDONADO - LIMA FLIGHT

After breakfast we will go back to Puerto Maldonado and then we will be transferred to the airport. Depending on the flight dawn departures will be required.

We will be picked-up at the airport and transferred to our hotel in Lima. Free afternoon.

Overnight in Lima

DAY 13: LIMA. INTERNATIONAL DEPARTURE

We will be picked-up at our hotel in Lima and transferred to the airport. International departure.